Royal Lockdown
Author: Rebecca York
Copyright: 2007 (Harlequin); pgs. 246
Series: Harlequin Intrigue #994; Lights Out
Sensuality: Warm
Who: Princess Ariana LeBron of Beau Pays and Shane Peters
Where: Boston, MA
Eleven years ago, Liam Shea was sent to prison. He was part of a Special Forces task force, sent in to rescue hostages. But when he supposedly cut the power too soon, the kidnappers were alerted and several of the hostages were killed before the task force could reach them. Shea has long claimed he was set up, that he got an “all set” signal from someone else on the team. But without proof, he’s found guilty. Now out of prison, Shea is bent on revenge against the men of that task force. Several of the members are attending a gala, and he sets his plan into motion.
Shane Peters was one of those men. He’s now a millionaire security expert. His primary interest in the gala is the Beau Pays sapphire, on display for the event. He’s especially interested in what type of security it has, since he is looking to be hired by the king. Then he sees Princess Ariana and is instantly attracted to her. He manages to get her to dance with him and is therefore with Shane when Shea and his sons take the gala attendees hostage.
Ariana has always been a dutiful princess and is set to marry a minor noble of Beau Pays. Meeting Shane, being instantly attracted to him, makes her rethink her decisions. The more she gets to know him, the more certain Ariana is that Shane’s the one she wants to be with. Ariana is so sure of this, she is more than willing to give into temptation, even while Shane himself is trying to avoid it. He believes that a relationship between them could never work — he with his side job in the black ops field and her as the future queen.
But before all that can be settled, the pair has to survive the Sheas. Liam’s primarily interested in Ariana because she is standing in for her father, who was on that ill-fated mission. The king, being ill, sent her to the gala. Shane makes it his mission to get her safely out of Boston.
The book moves along pretty quickly. Ariana gets to show off her skills in self defense and fire arms. Since this is the first book in a four-book mini-series, the kidnapping and revenge plot is not resolved.
Started: 18 August 2008
Finished: 28 August 2008
Rating:
Enjoyed it!
Teaser Tuesdays asks you to:
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
The teaser:
Maybe the only advantage Shane had was surprise. From an inside pocket in his tuxedo jacket, he withdrew a small folding knife.
– from page 49, Harlequin Intrigue # 994: Royal Lockdown (Rebecca York)
Why I picked this book: Last year, when I was participating in the reading challenge on the official Harlequin website, I selected several titles from the Intrigue line. A sampling, to see if I might like this particular imprint. It also fills the “Y” slot for Author in the “A-Z Reading Challenge” hosted by Joy.
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Texas Ransom
Author: Amanda Stevens
Copyright: 2008 (Harlequin); pgs. 242
Series: Silhouette Intrigue #1035; Intrigue’s Ultimate Heroes
Sensuality: Subtle
Who: Graham Hollister and Kendall Hollister
Summary: Wealth, power and the perfect life. That’s what Graham Hollister thought he had with his beautiful wife, Kendall. He’d almost lost her in a deadly car crash, but since then he’d reveled in their renewed marriage. Until one Texas night changed everything. A brutal crime cartel came to abduct Kendall. Only the kidnappers didn’t want just ransom — they were out for revenge. But as Graham raced against time and all odds to rescue his wife, everything he thought he once knew about her was now in question. Would the dark, dangerous secrets she harbored destroy them both?
Comments: If you’re the sort of Romance reader that doesn’t like it when the author keeps the main couple apart for nearly the entire book, then this book is not for you. Kendall is kidnapped early on and the couple is reunited during the last few pages. You’ve been warned.
I liked Graham, which is fortunate, since we spend so much time in his head, as he tries to cope with a situation where he is in over his head. Graham is not the aggressive, golden boy of the family — that would be his older brother, Terrence. Graham was the less athletic, studious son. He wears glasses. He suffers from vertigo. Though he owns his own architectural firm, his life is relatively simple and quiet. All that changes when his wife is taken from him.
Graham is anxious to get his wife back, but is afraid that the kidnapper will carry out their threats against his family if he doesn’t follow their instructions to the letter. Graham is able to make contact with the FBI covertly, but he realizes pretty quickly that they are suspicious of him. Things aren’t adding up for them. Over the course of the book, Graham learns that there are many things he doesn’t know about his wife, and those things are making the FBI suspicious of them both. Through it all, nothing shakes he determination to get her back.
As noted above, Kendall is hardly in the book. It’s hard to talk about her, because it would be a spoiler. Suffice to say, she truly loves Graham. She, too, was in way over her head and afraid of losing the man she loves.
Started: 1 July 2008
Finished: 6 July 2008
Rating:
Enjoyed it!
